Hugo Butler—Pictures with meaning
Music runs in Master of Fine Arts (Creative Practice) student Hugo Butler’s family.
“My interest in music sparked when my Dad signed me up to a term of free introductory lessons—I was about five years old,” Hugo says. “Both my mother and father are very into music and I have been inspired immensely by both their tastes. Their music preferences do seem to conflict at times, however, I find that both are very present in my musical voice.”
Despite his long-running passion for music, Hugo wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to study at university until he came to the Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington Open Day.
“At first I thought I was interested in studying law, but after attending some open day lectures, I decided it wasn’t for me. In the end I thought if I’m going to be paying a lot of money, I may as well be excited and passionate about my studies.”
Hugo enrolled in the Bachelor of Music at Victoria University of Wellington and is now finishing his Master’s. He says it’s been great to dedicate four years to something he adores.
“I’ve learned so much and studied with brilliant people,” Hugo says. “I really valued the opportunity to learn about lots of different areas of music and find out what I really liked and didn’t like, and to have the opportunity to focus on what I really love—music composition for film—in my Master’s degree.”
Hugo says it was a documentary on the work of Ryuichi Sakamoto (who composed the music for Oscar-winning film The Revenant) that cemented his decision to pursue composition.
“The documentary covered his composition process, and how he embellishes a feeling found in the narrative. Sakamoto adds another layer of depth to the film sonically. I fell in love with his approach and I fell deeper into my love for cinema.”
Hugo recently topped off his Master’s degree by winning the New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōki Film Scoring Competition.
The Film Scoring competition asked students to write their own version of the musical score for short film Spring (2019). The four finalists in the competition had their films screened at the Roxy Cinema earlier this year, and Hugo was selected as the winner by a panel of judges.
“It was a very big surprise to win the competition, but I was thrilled,” Hugo says.
Hugo’s goal for his score was to emphasise the fairy and folktale aspects of the film with a score using the limitations of a small orchestra to his advantage.
“I wanted to create a score that was simple but not one that obviously spoon-fed the narrative to viewers,” Hugo says. “I wanted to draw attention to a solo violin, or any orchestral instrument for that matter. It was vital that I emphasized space and minimal orchestration as much as say a full tutti section of music. The last thing I wanted was to distract the audience from the picture.”
Hugo has been involved in a number of musical projects throughout his studies, and he has several more lined up. He says his goal for the next few months is to create as many networks as possible.
“Composition is a selective industry, so you do have to be excellent, and you have to work hard to create a sustainable career. Friendships with people are super important,” Hugo says.
Hugo says his main piece of advice to anyone thinking about studying music is along those lines as well—make connections.
Take any opportunity you can to meet people and get your work out there,” Hugo says. “Treat it like a job you’re passionate about—music is a fun degree that requires a lot of hard work and time to see the best results.”